Mandie and the Forest Path
by InTheImprovementOfHerMind
Summary: This story revolves around a mystery Mandie discovers during her summer vacation from college. Mandie and her friends (Celia, Joe, Jonathan, and Sallie) investigate a woodland path that leads through the forest surrounding Mandie's home in Franklin, North Carolina
1. Chapter 1

**This is my very first "Mandie" fanfic, and also my first Fanfiction in quite a long time. I haven't written one for at least two years now, so bear with me. I started reading "Mandie" when I was around seven or eight, almost ten years ago. Now that I'm seventeen, I think most people find it weird that I still love reading them, but…I really don't care! They're funny, happy, enjoyable, and the best part: light reads, for when you just want to settle down and not have to worry about anything. I've collected several since I first started the series, and I still look for them at used book sales and library sales. **

** This fanfic will take place **_**after**_** Lois Gladys Leppard's last "Mandie" book (Her College Years: **_**New Horizons**_**), which I think is the norm for most "Mandie" fanfics. The story will just be a regular, old "Mandie" mystery—nothing too different or changed. (And I just want to say: thank you, Lois Gladys Leppard, for such a lovely series. It's inspired countless young girls since you first started writing them. We all miss you very much!)**

** Before you start reading, you should know that my goal(s) for writing fanfictions are: (one), to create a **_**believable**_** story expounding on the original book/story, using my own creativity/originality, while still staying true to the heart of the original. I never want to write a Fanfiction that goes astray from the original point, characters, or focus, because I feel like that just ruins it for the readers. They are expecting characters and plots they know well, and I can't take that away from them. (two), I always try to write my fanfic in the style **_**of the original writer**_**, whether they're children's book writers, teen, or adult. I think this is very good practice in learning to write in all different sorts of ways, and in expanding your own writing style. That being said, I am doing my best to write in Lois Gladys Leppard's style. It's different than any ones I've ever done, because while I tend to stick in the "teen" genre, the "Mandie" books were written for younger children, which makes the writing style very easy to read, simple, and sweet. **

** So, now that I've probably bored you to tears with that lengthy introduction…**

** **NOTE: This is NOT a romance story. It will not feature a developing romance between Mandie/Joe or Celia/Jonathan. This is a "Mandie" mystery fanfic. Of course, to stay true to the style of the "Mandie" books, I'm sure there will be some Mandie/Joe moments…**

Mandie Shaw waited anxiously at the crowded train station with her best friend, Celia Hamilton. The two girls were heading to Mandie's home in Franklin, North Carolina, for the start of their summer holidays, and Mandie couldn't wait to get home to see all of her friends and family again.

"Mandie, do you suppose we got the times mixed up?" asked Celia worriedly, pushing her long auburn curls away from her face.

Mandie frowned. "No, the telegram specifically said that Uncle John would meet us here at twelve sharp. He'll be here."

"I hope so. I hate waiting around on our own like this with so many strangers," Celia replied.

"We'll be fine" Mandie assured her. "I'm sure—"

"Hey! Mandie!" someone called her name. She looked around, startled. Celia nudged her.

"Over there, Mandie," she said, pointing back in the direction of the college. George Stuart, a friend of theirs, was hurrying towards them.

"Oh," said Mandie, a bit annoyed, watching him near them. George was a very nice friend, but his attentions got tiring after a while.

"Mandie!" he said again, stopping in front of her and smiling. "Thank goodness I caught you! I wanted to say good-bye before you headed off to Franklin."

"Hello, George," said Mandie, faking a smile. "You're just in time, I guess. Uncle John will be here any minute."

"Of course," he replied, "and I need to get back. I'm leaving too, but not until this evening." He took her hand. "I'll miss you very much this summer. Both of you," he said, turning to Celia and shaking her hand.

Mandie self-consciously rubbed her hand, but he didn't notice.

"Have a wonderful summer," he said. "I'll be thinking of you. I'll try and write, if that's okay with you?"

Mandie ignored Celia's grin and forced a kind smile. "That would be very nice, George, thank you."

He beamed, said goodbye again, and, flashing Mandie another dazzling smile, he turned and hurried off.

"Bye!" Mandie and Celia called after him.

As soon as he was out of sight, Celia turned to Mandie and smirked.

"What?" asked Mandie warily, noting her friend's mischievous expression.

"Have a _lovely_ summer," Celia crooned. "Keep that brilliant sparkle in you beautiful blue eyes! My heart will ache all the seconds I spend away from you—"

"Oh, stop it!" Mandie huffed. "It's not very funny!"

"Hmm," said a familiar voice behind her. "Not funny at all—and just who _is_ that dashing, lovesick young man?"

"Uncle John!" Mandie cried, spinning around and running into his waiting arms.

"Hello, blue eyes," he said, smiling down at her. "Why, you're even prettier than when I last saw you! No wonder poor George was stricken."

"Uncle John, really!" she said, playfully swatting him. He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"And hello, Celia, good to see you," he said, turning to shake Celia's hand.

"Hello, Mr. Shaw," said Celia.

"Do you girls have your luggage?" Uncle John asked, looking around.

"Yes, it's already on the train," Mandie said. "We wanted to be ready to leave as soon as you showed up."

"Well, well, aren't we in a hurry," he said. "I suppose we should board the train then, since you're so anxious to get home." He led them over to the train and handed their tickets in.

"Of course I'm anxious!" Mandie said feelingly. "Celia and I have been dying to see everyone again, right, Celia?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Shaw," agreed Celia, "I've barely been able to keep Mandie on her feet. She keeps slipping off to dream-land."

Uncle John laughed and ushered them through the train to their seats. "I hope you can manage to wait the entire train ride," he said as they sat down.

"I'll be fine, knowing I'm heading home," Mandie said. She and Celia settled side-by-side onto their seat and peppered her uncle with questions while they waited for the train to start.

"Is everyone there already?" Mandie asked. Uncle John thought for a moment.

"Let's see… when I left I believe that the only ones there were Uncle Ned, Morning Star, Sallie, and Jonathan. And your grandmother, of course."

"Dimar couldn't come?" Mandie asked, disappointed. Uncle John shook his head.

"No, he couldn't, but maybe we'll be able to visit him in a few weeks."

"And what about Joe?" Mandie asked, almost fearfully. "He promised he would make it back this summer! Why isn't he there?"

Her uncle smiled at her. "Don't you worry, blue eyes. I believe the Woodards were supposed to arrive today, after I had already left."

"Oh, good!" said Mandie in relief, settling back in her seat.

"When will my mother be there?" Celia asked.

"Either today or tomorrow," Uncle John told her.

"How is Snowball?" Mandie questioned. "Has he missed me?"

Uncle John laughed. "Snowball is fine, even if he is pining for you. He eats a lot, I suppose to avoid depression."

Mandie smiled. "I still wish the college would just let me keep him."

"Oh, Mandie, you know he'd escape and get lost almost immediately!" Celia protested.

"I suppose so," said Mandie dejectedly. At that moment, the train started up, and the girls, caught up in the excitement of heading home, ceased their questioning.

Mandie stared out the window, watching the land go flying by. She and Celia discussed all their plans for the summer, with Uncle John putting in a few thoughts occasionally, and, in almost no time at all, it seemed to Mandie, they were pulling into the Franklin train station.

Mandie and Celia rushed out, nearly colliding with Mr. Bond who was waiting in the rig.

"Whoa there, Miss Amanda!" said Mr. Jason, steadying them.

"Mr. Bond!" said Mandie, hugging him. "It's so good to see you."

"You too, Miss," Mr. Bond said, grinning at her. "We sure are glad to have you girls back."

He helped Uncle John load their luggage into the rig while the girls climbed in and sat down.

Before she knew it, Uncle John's house was looming in front of them. Mandie smiled and grasped Celia's hand.

"Home at last," she said. Celia smiled back.

"I can't wait to see everyone," she said.

"I know," Mandie agreed. "I hope Joe's here by now."

As soon as the rig stopped, Mandie hopped down and rushed towards the house, followed by Celia.


	2. Chapter 2

**Before I start, I just want to say: thank you THE OFFICIAL COYOTE for my first review! I really appreciate the feed-back, and I'm glad you noticed my "Mandie & Uncle John" moments. I also love their relationship, more so than Mandie and her mother. It's a bit more… I don't know… real and laidback. Her mother is too protective and wishy-washy. Anyway, thanks again for the review!**

** All constructive criticism is welcome, and if there's something you want to see more of, or you think I should take out, tell me, and I'll see what I can do! Just please, no criticism like: "girl this rly sucks lol." If it's bad, tell me what makes it bad, and I'll fix it; don't just tell me it's bad!**

"We're back!" Mandie called breathlessly, bursting through the door into the parlor. It was full of her friends and family members, who obviously had not heard the rig pull up, judging by the startled looks on their faces. Her mother and grandmother and Mrs. Woodard and Mrs. Hamilton were clutching their cups, and her grandmother had a placed her hand over her heart. Sallie and Jonathan, who were standing nearest to the door, jumped at least a foot backwards into Joe, whose eyes had been fixed on Mandie the moment the door opened. Only Uncle Ned remained composed, smiling at Mandie and Celia.

"Papoose," he said, walking over to her. Mandie stifled her laughter and gave him a hug.

"Hello, Uncle Ned, I'm so glad you're here!" she turned to everyone else. "Sorry we scared ya'll, we didn't mean to."

"Welcome back, dearest," said her mother, pulling herself together as Mandie rushed over to give her a hug.

"You certainly startled us," Grandmother Taft added, receiving Mandie's embrace. "We weren't expecting ya'll for at least another hour."

"They were all ready to go the moment I arrived," Uncle John explained, entering the parlor behind them. "I hardly had time to catch my breath before they had dragged me onto the train!"

Everyone laughed and Mandie and Celia hurried over to their friends.

"Sallie!" Mandie said warmly, hugging her. Sallie smiled and greeted her and Celia.

"You two sure look out of breath," teased Jonathan, greeting them in turn.

"Yeah, what did you do?" added Joe. "Run all the way from the station?"

Mandie looked at them sternly. "Well, you should have seen ya'lls faces when we came into the parlor!"

Celia giggled. "I don't think I've ever seen anybody jump so far!"

Jonathan raised his eyebrows. "Who can blame us, the way you two came charging in? I'm surprised you didn't break the door off its hinges!"

He and Joe laughed while Mandie and Celia both blushed.

"Mandie, dear," Elizabeth called from the other side of the room. "You and Celia should go upstairs and freshen up."

"Yes, Mother," Mandie called back. She started out into the hallway, followed by her friends.

"I'll go with you and help," Sallie offered the two of them.

"Thank you," Mandie said gratefully. She turned to the boys. "See you in a bit."

The three girls hurried up the steps into Mandie's room. All of their things, including Sallie's, had already been brought up.

"Oh, good, we're all in the same room," Mandie said happily. She hastily shed her dusty coat.

"Welcome back, Missy Manda," Liza's cheerful voice came from behind her. Mandie turned to see the maid dancing into the room.

"Liza!" she said, embracing her. "How are you?"

"I'se fine, Missy, but look at ya'll! We'se gotta git you cleaned up, all nice and purty, for dat dere doctuh's son," Liza said slyly. "I seen him all day, and he been lookin mighty happy, waitin' for ya'lls to git back."

"Oh, Liza, really!" said Mandie in embarrassment, feeling herself blush. Sallie and Celia giggled behind her.

"You two aren't helping," Mandie retorted. They exchanged knowing grins and didn't reply.

"Where's Snowball, Liza?" Mandie asked.

"He be in duh kitchen," Liza answered. "Aunt Lou brought him in to feed him."

"Good," said Mandie. "After we're finished I want to go see him."

She washed her face and picked out a suitable dress, while Celia did the same. Liza finished hanging up their clothes before dancing back out of the room, promising to see them all later.

"Sorry, Mandie, but Liza's right," Celia said. "Didn't you see his face when we burst into the room?"

"No," said Mandie, grinning. "I was too busy trying not to laugh at the look on everyone else's face! Did you see Grandmother clutching her heart?"

Celia laughed. "I can't get over Sallie and Jonathan bumping into poor Joe."

Mandie and Sallie giggled, picturing the scene.

"I've never seen Jonathan startled like that before," Mandie said. "His mouth was wide open!"

"I can't blame him," Sallie answered. "I thought I almost had a heart-attack! What were we supposed to do, with you barging into the room, hair flying wildly behind you?"

"Goodness, is that really what it looked like?" Celia asked.

Sallie nodded. "I'm surprised my Grandfather wasn't startled."

"Oh, you know Uncle Ned," said Mandie, braiding her hair. "Nothing can scare him." She tied a ribbon around her braid and smoothed her clothes down. "There," she said. "Are you done, Celia?"

"Yes," Celia answered, turning away from the mirror.

"Let's go find Joe and Jonathan, then," Mandie said, opening the door. "And I want to go to the kitchen and see Snowball."


	3. Chapter 3

**Patch31 (guest): for some reason, your review isn't showing up on my computer, but I did receive an email with it, so you thank very much! Your review was so nice and encouraging, and I'm so glad that you think it sounds like a regular Mandie book, especially the characters. Like I said, that's my main goal for writing Fanfiction.** **Thanks so much for your support!**

Mandie headed down the hallway into the kitchen, followed by Sallie and Celia. She pushed open the door, side-stepping Liza, who was on her way out.

"Hi, Aunt Lou," Mandie said, greeting the housekeeper. Aunt Lou beamed and hugged her tightly.

"My chile, I'se so glad you back!" Aunt Lou said, smoothing Mandie's hair. "Land sakes, chile, what they feedin' you up at that college?" she asked, looking Mandie over. "You done shriveled up since you'se been away! We got to git you somethin' to eat!"

Mandie laughed. "They feed me well, but nothing as good as home's food! There's no cook in the whole world like Jenny." She smiled at the cook and greeted the rest of the servants, before spotting a familiar white shape at her feet.

"Snowball!" she cried, stooping down and picking her cat up. She rubbed her face into his soft fur and scratched his ear. Snowball meowed and licked her face.

"You did miss me, Snowball," she said, giving him another squeeze. She set him down and stroked his head. "You just finish up your meal, and I'll take you on a walk later."

"Come on, Mandie, let's go find the boys," Celia spoke up behind her.

"Okay," Mandie agreed. "See ya'll later!" she waved to the servants and followed Sallie and Celia out to the back porch, where Joe and Jonathan were waiting.

"We're back," Mandie announced as they stepped out onto the porch. Joe and Jonathan jumped up and hurried towards them.

"What took you so long?" Joe asked. "We thought you got lost or something."

"Haha," Mandie said condescendingly. "No, we went to the kitchen."

"You got food without us?" Jonathan asked, faking a pout.

"I wanted to see Snowball and Aunt Lou and everyone," Mandie explained.

"How long have ya'll been here?" Celia asked, sitting down on the swing.

"I just got here today," answered Joe, "but Jonathan and Sallie have been here for three days."

"Three days?" Mandie echoed in surprise, sitting down next to Celia. "What have you been doing?"

"Mostly avoiding Polly," Jonathan said. He looked sideways and Joe and grinned slyly. "She's been asking about Joe every time she sees us."

Joe groaned. Mandie, Sallie, and Celia laughed, although Mandie felt a little annoyed. She hoped Polly wasn't going to hang around the whole time, fawning over Joe.

"So, how was the first year of college for you two?" Joe asked, changing the subject.

"Okay, I guess," Mandie said, shrugging. "I like learning, of course, but I wish we weren't away so much. At least at finishing school, we could go to Grandmother's on the weekends."

"Did you make lots of new friends?" Sallie asked.

"A few," answered Celia. She grinned at Mandie. "I think Mandie's made more than me."

Mandie flushed bright red and glared at her. "Celia Hamilton," she began, but Celia cut her off.

"I'm just kidding, Mandie, really," she said apologetically.

"I should think so," Mandie muttered, ignoring the boys' raised eyebrows.

"What are you talking about?" Joe asked, looking from Celia to Mandie. Mandie jumped up and changed the subject.

"Do ya'll want to go on a walk before dinner?" she asked.

"Sure," Jonathan said. She breathed a sigh of relief and hurried down the porch steps.

"Where to?" Joe asked, stopping ahead of Mandie.

"Oh, um… let's go around the house to the tunnel exit," she suggested. Joe and Jonathan took the lead as they set off around the house. Mandie stayed at the back of the group until Celia dropped back to join her.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, Mandie," she apologized. Mandie shook her head.

"No, it's okay, Celia," she assured her, "I just didn't want anything to turn awkward in front of Joe. I don't like George any more than a friend, and I didn't want Joe getting all possessive."

Celia smiled and shook her head. "Mandie, you know Joe gets possessive if another boy even looks at you."

Mandie frowned. "At least he and Jonathan are friendlier than they used to be. It was so awkward at first."

"That was because they immediately saw each other as rivals," Celia pointed out, "but now they're actually friends. They just needed to take time to get to know each other."

"I guess so," Mandie said. She didn't say anything else, and Celia looked at her closely.

"Mandie, forgive me if I'm prying, but do you still think of Joeas _just_ a friend?"

Mandie sighed. "I don't know, Celia. He's been my closest friend for as long as I can remember, but sometimes I do feel strange around him. He'll say something nice and I'll blush, or he'll hold my hand, and I'll feel jittery."

Celia grinned. "Oh, _really_?"

Mandie frowned at her, and stopped, hands on her hips. "But don't you dare go saying anything to him! Joe and I are friends for now, nothing more."

"Whatever you say, Mandie," she teased.

"Come on, Mandie!" Joe called. He, Jonathan, and Sallie were far ahead. "What are you and Celia doing?"

"We're coming!" Mandie answered, before hurrying towards them.

"Sorry," she apologized, when they reached them. "We were talking and didn't realize how slowly we were walking."

"The tunnel entrance should be right around this corner, right?" Joe said, pushing through the bushes. Mandie nodded, ignoring Sallie's questioning looks.

"Aha!" said Joe triumphantly, standing in front of the tunnel. Jonathan laughed.

"It's not like you haven't been here countless times or anything," he said, grinning.

"We should have gotten the keys from Mr. Bond so we could go through," Mandie said.

"We can do it later," Jonathan answered. "Let's go—" he broke off as he glanced towards the house. "Oh no, here we go again."

The others followed his gaze to see Polly Cornwallis hurrying towards them. Mandie groaned inwardly, while Joe and Jonathan exchanged an exasperated glance.

"Hi, ya'll!" Polly said excitedly as she reached them. "Mandie, Celia, it's good to see you!"

"Hi, Polly," said Mandie, faking a bright smile. Polly didn't seem to hear her and turned to Joe, flashing him a beautiful smile.

"Hi, Joe, when did you get here?" she asked. Joe started to grimace, then caught himself and quickly turned it into a smile.

"Earlier today," he answered.

"How long are ya'll going to be staying?" she asked, directing the question to Mandie, but continuing to look at Joe. Mandie suppressed a sigh and answered half-heartedly.

"Probably a few weeks. I know we're leaving to go to Uncle Ned's first, but I'm not sure what we're going after that. We'll either go to New York, or down to stay with Senator Morten in Florida."

"Sounds fun!" Polly said. "Mother and I don't have any final plans yet, but we might be going overseas."

"How wonderful," said Mandie dully. Polly didn't seem to notice her tone, as she was too busy smiling at Joe.

"Uh… we should probably go back to the house," Jonathan spoke up. "I think Mr. Shaw said dinner would be ready soon."

"Of course," said Mandie gratefully. "I guess we'll see you later, Polly."

"Okay!" Polly agreed. "I need to get back too." She turned and started back to her own house. Mandie watched her go and then began walking back around the house, followed by her friends.

"Well," said Jonathan. He grinned at Joe, who glowered at him.

"Come on," said Mandie, ignoring them. "We don't want to be late."

When they reached the front of the house, Uncle John was coming down the porch steps. He stopped when he saw them.

"I was just coming to look for you, Mandie," he told them. "Dinner is ready."

"Yes, sir," said Mandie, as she and her friends re-entered the house. "We'll just take a moment to wash-up."


	4. Chapter 4

**Patch31 (guest): your review finally showed up! Thanks again **

**THE OFFICIAL COYOTE: thanks! I'm having a lot of fun writing it, and it helps to have continued support! **

When dinner was served, Mandie and her friends sat at the opposite end of the table as the adults, so they could talk freely amongst themselves.

"We should go through the tunnel tonight," Mandie suggested as they ate. "I haven't been through it in a while, and it will be fun."

"Okay," Celia agreed, "but don't you think it will be a bit scary at night?"

Joe grinned at Mandie. "We were going to do it before, right, Mandie?"

Mandie blushed and laughed. "Yes, I remember. I told Joe I wanted to do something brave, like going through the tunnel at night. He probably didn't think it was very exciting, but I thought it would be so adventurous. We ended up solving a little mystery instead, I think. Don't worry, though, Celia. We can take a lamp, and then it won't be scary."

"I think I lost all the matches one time though, didn't I?" Joe laughed.

Mandie frowned at him. "Joe Woodard, that was not funny! You know how scared I was when we couldn't see anything."

"Well, this is sounding more and more frightening to me, Mandie," Celia remarked. "And you two are certainly not helping."

"It will be fine, Celia," Mandie assured her. "Joe will check his coat pockets for holes this time, and we won't lose the matches."

"I, for one, thought it was exciting, stumbling through a pitch-black tunnel," Jonathan said mischievously. Mandie raised her eyebrows at him.

"You didn't think it was so funny when it happened," she reminded him.

Celia smiled. "You were there too, Jonathan?" she asked.

"Yes, and Polly," he answered, rolling his eyes.

"I think it is best that we do not follow in your footsteps, and bring a light," Sallie said, smiling.

"Oh, I don't know," argued Jonathan, grinning.

"I agree with Sallie," said Celia hastily.

"Looks like we're outnumbered," Joe said wistfully to Jonathan.

"Yeah, we're stuck with a bunch of 'fraidy-cats," teased Jonathan.

"Oh, you two," Mandie huffed. "Maybe we'll just leave ya'll here to make fun of us, and _we'll_ go through the tunnel by ourselves."

"No way," said Joe quickly, "because then what will you do if something goes wrong? You won't have any big, strong men do help you get out."

Mandie lifted her chin. "We're quite capable of taking care of ourselves."

Celia laughed nervously. "Not when you get caught up in one of your mysteries, Mandie."

"Really, Mandie," said Joe disapprovingly. "Aren't you a bit old for those scrapes?"

"They are not 'scrapes'!" said Mandie indignantly. "If there's a perfectly good, old-fashioned mystery that needs solving, I will not be the one to leave it unsolved."

"Except you've never really had a 'perfectly good, old-fashioned mystery,'" Joe pointed out.

"Yeah, they're more like dangerous escapades that wind up with us all in some kind of trouble," agreed Jonathan.

Mandie glared at them. "Well, you two can just stay out of the next one, if that's how you feel. Celia and Sallie and I will solve it without your help."

"Oh, don't worry," said Joe, "I'm sure whatever mystery you get involved in, you'll convince me to help somehow."

Mandie ignored him, but smiled to herself. Joe was right. She always managed to get him to help her eventually, even though he usually disagreed.

When dinner was finished, Mandie approached her Uncle John to ask for the keys to the tunnel.

"Hello, blue eyes," her uncle said when he saw her. "What do you want this time?"

Mandie smiled at him. "How do you always know when I want something from you?" she asked.

"Because you widen your eyes and flutter your lashes," he said, laughing.

Mandie grinned. "I do not!" she protested. "But I do want something. Can we have the keys to the tunnel? We want to go through it after dark."

Uncle John frowned. "Didn't you and Joe attempt that once and lose all of your matches?"

Mandie pursed her lips. "No," she said, "those were two different times. Joe lost the matches when we took Jonathan through when he first visited here at Christmas."

Uncle John laughed and went to get the key for her.

"Here you are," he said, handing it to her. "Make sure you get back to the house before it gets too late, or your mother will be after my skin."

Mandie beamed at him. "Thanks, Uncle John!"

"And bring extra matches!" he called after her as she hurried up the stairs to find her friends.

They were all waiting in the hallway outside the girls' room and looked at her expectantly when she rounded the corner.

"I've got it," Mandie said, holding up the key. She handed it to Joe, who was also holding a lamp.

"Do ya'll suppose it's dark enough yet?" she asked, opening her bedroom door to look out of the window. The sun had already set.

"It's certainly dark enough for me," said Celia. "Besides, once we make it to the end of the tunnel, it will be even darker.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Mandie agreed. She led the way to Uncle John's study. Joe lit the oil-lamp and opened the tunnel door before handing the key back to Mandie. She pocketed it and stepped into the tunnel.

"You have extra matches, right, Joe?" she asked.

"Right here," Joe assured her, patting his coat pocket. He fell in step beside Mandie in the front, since he had the lamp, casting a spooky golden glow on the cold tunnel walls.

Celia, Jonathan, and Sallie followed behind in single file. Celia shivered.

"It sure is spooky in here at night," she said nervously. "I don't know how ya'll could have possibly made it through without a lamp."

Mandie giggled. "I was terrified," she admitted, "but Joe and Jonathan were fine, even though I made Joe go first."

"That was because you wanted me to run into all the walls and corners first," Joe teased, "not because you were afraid of the dark."

"Maybe," Mandie said, smiling.

"How long were we stuck in here, feeling around for the exit?" Jonathan asked.

Mandie shrugged. "I don't remember," she answered. "It felt like hours, but I suppose it must have been only one hour, if that. The adults would have come looking for us if it was any longer."

"Time seems to go a lot slower when you're in the dark or lost," Sallie agreed.

"Remember the time you and I got stuck on the roof of that apartment, Mandie?" Jonathan asked.

"I could never forget that," Mandie said, shuddering. Joe looked at her sharply.

"What happened?" he asked. Mandie glanced at him in surprise, while Celia looked on, smiling.

"I'm sure I told you about that, Joe," Mandie said. "I always tell you everything."

"You told me about getting stuck on the roof, but you never said what made it so apparently 'unforgettable,'" Joe replied.

Mandie glanced at him. Why was he so touchy? He knew she and Jonathan were only friends.

"We were stuck up there for so long that I actually got sick," Mandie explained. She smiled, looking a little embarrassed. "I think I actually fainted, didn't I, Jonathan?"

"Yes, from the cold," Jonathan confirmed. "I was scared out of my mind. I had no idea what to do."

"Hmm," was all Joe said. Mandie stifled an irritated sigh. She'd thought that Joe and Jonathan were done with all of this boyish rivalry. She hoped they wouldn't continue it throughout the whole summer.

"That could not have been as exciting as the time Mandie, Joe, and I got kidnapped by those bootleggers," Sallie commented.

"That was terrible," Mandie agreed. She cast a triumphant grin at Joe. "And to think we wouldn't have escaped if it hadn't been for Snowball."

"Yes, alright, Snowball isn't _always_ a nuisance," Joe replied evenly.

"I would have been scared to death if I was there," Celia said. "Some of the things we did in Europe still shock me. I don't know how we ever made it out of some of those scrapes."

Mandie blew out an irritated breath. "For goodness' sakes, they were not _scrapes_!"

Jonathan laughed. "Oh, I would have to call at least some of them 'scrapes.' Have you forgotten getting lost in the catacombs?"

Celia shivered. "_That_ was scary."

"Yes, okay, that was a bit of bad luck," Mandie admitted.

"A 'bit'?" repeated Joe, smiling at her. "I would hate to see what you called 'a lot'!"

Mandie pursed her lips thoughtfully. "'A lot'? That would have to be… Joe and I getting kidnapped at the ruby mine and almost drowning in the river," she said seriously. "I thought Joe was going to die and it would have been all my fault."

"I'd almost forgotten about that," Joe said thoughtfully. "You lost Snowball that day, didn't you?"

Mandie nodded. "I thought he was never coming back, that he had died out in the woods, until he showed up, skinny and sick, with a thorn stuck in his poor little paw."

"Yes, I remember how upset you were," Joe said. Mandie smiled at him, pleased that he remembered that.

"I also remember," said Sallie. "Afterwards, we found your Aunt Ruby's treasure."

"I wish I could have been with ya'll for that," Celia said wistfully, "but I had to leave before you found it."

"This must have been before I met you," Jonathan said.

"Yes, can you believe it," laughed Mandie, "I was getting into terrible 'scrapes' even before I met you!"

"I believe it," said Jonathan.

"Like the time Joe got kidnapped by the old Catawba Medicine Man, because we were building a hospital for the Cherokee," Mandie said.

Jonathan grinned. "Is it just me, or do a lot of these involve Joe getting in some kind of trouble when it's Mandie's fault?"

"You've got that right!" agreed Joe heartily. Mandie tossed Jonathan a glare over her shoulder.

"It's not very funny, Jonathan," she said. "I felt terribly guilty all those times. Joe could have died!"

"And yet you always managed to rope me into another mystery," Joe complained.

"It's not my fault that you couldn't help your curiosity," Mandie replied loftily, while Sallie and Celia laughed.

"'Help my curiosity'? I only joined in because you were in more trouble than you could handle!"

"Oh, sure," Mandie said. "You just couldn't bear being left out."

"Someone has to go with you to protect you on one of your wild schemes," Joe told her.

"Oh, look!" said Mandie, ignoring him. "There's the exit!"

She and Joe pushed open the door, and he went out first, holding the lamp so that everyone could see.

"Well, Celia?" asked Jonathan.

"It wasn't so scary," she admitted. "Probably because there were so many of us, and we talked the whole time."

"And because the light didn't go out," Mandie added.

"Yes, and that," Celia agreed. "Which I'm grateful for."

"We'd better get back up to the house," Mandie said.

"Hey, Mandie," Joe said. He was standing a couple of feet away from the tunnel exit, looking through the trees.

"What?" she asked, joining him. He pointed to a small path that led into the woods.

"Have you ever walked this?"

"A little bit," Mandie replied. "It doesn't really go anywhere. Uncle John said it was probably just a deer trail."

"We should walk it tomorrow," Joe suggested. "I've never been very far in this part of the woods."

"Okay," Mandie agreed. "If that's fine with everyone else."

"I would like to," Sallie spoke up. "It is always exciting to explore the woods."

"I guess I'll go if Mandie goes," Celia agreed.

"Count me in," said Jonathan, "as long as it doesn't make us late for meals."

"I didn't think about that!" said Joe, in mock horror.

The girls laughed at their continued love of food, before heading back up to the house.


	5. Chapter 5

**Patch31 (guest): thank you! You have no idea how excited I get when there are new reviews. I'm like a little kid at Christmas :P I really appreciate the encouragement, and I'm soooo happy you think it sounds like a "Mandie" book. I promise that I'll try to keep the up the regular updates, because I know how it feels to have to wait :D**

**Jennielovesu: wow, thanks! That really means a lot to me. I'm so glad that "Mandie" lovers feel like they're reading just another book.**

After everyone had said goodnight, Mandie, Celia, and Sallie went up to Mandie's room to get ready for bed.

Mandie pulled on her nightgown and climbed into bed, shoving Snowball off of her pillow.

"Really, Snowball," she grumbled, "can't you sleep at the foot?" She flipped the pillow over and slumped onto it.

"Oh, Mandie," Celia said, "you know he'll be right next to your face when you wake up in the morning."

"Well, he'd better hope I don't roll around too much in my sleep," Mandie answered.

Sallie smiled at her. "Mandie, you always sleep as still as a rock," she said.

"It's very healthy, I'm sure," Mandie wisely.

Sallie laughed. "I am sure."

"Celia," Mandie said, propping herself up on her elbow. "Do you ever hear from Robert?"

Celia blushed and looked away. "Where did that come from?"

"Come on, tell me!" Mandie persisted. She stuck out her lip. "_Please_?"

Celia blushed again and laughed. "Well, I suppose he does write me from time to time."

"Really?" asked Mandie, sitting up. "When? Why didn't I know this?"

"He just writes occasionally," Celia said. "I didn't tell you because I knew what you'd do."

Mandie tried to suppress a silly-looking grin, but couldn't. She giggled. "What? What would I do?"

Celia raised her eyebrows, looking at her friend's ridiculous grin and wagging eyebrows. "Exactly what you're doing," she said.

Mandie laughed. "So, you're getting love notes now, is that it?"

Celia folded her arms. "They are not 'love notes'! Besides, look who's talking! When do you expect your first letter from George?"

Mandie groaned, all laughter vanished, and she flopped back down on her pillow.

"Don't remind me," she said, flinging her arm over her eyes. Sallie looked from Celia to Mandie.

"What is it?" she asked. "Why doesn't Mandie like George?"

Celia giggled. "Oh, no reason, really. George is very nice, isn't he, Mandie?"

Mandie lifted her arm off of her eyes and glared at Celia. "_Very_ nice," she gritted.

"Ah," said Sallie knowingly.

"Oh, stop it," Mandie said. "I'm hoping he meets some girl over the summer, and then maybe he'll stop pestering me."

"Doubtful," said Celia. "But one can hope!" she added hurriedly, seeing Mandie glowering at her.

"And Joe?" Sallie asked. "What does he think about this George?"

Mandie blew out an annoyed huff. "Nothing, because he doesn't really know anything about him, and he _won't_ ever know anything about him. I don't feel anything more for George besides friendship, and sometimes he can ruin even that!"

"But, Mandie," Celia said, "What are you going to do if George sends you a letter?"

"Well, I like to think that Joe doesn't read my mail," Mandie said pointedly.

"But he might ask who it's from," Celia said.

"Then I'll just tell him it's from a _friend_," Mandie said. "Besides, I'm hoping that George doesn't know my address."

"If you ever told George your address, even once," said Celia teasingly, "then I can guarantee he has it written down on a beautiful piece of stationary that smells like roses, which he keeps locked in a chest."

"Oh, haha," said Mandie, while Celia and Sallie laughed.

"You two had better hope that Joe and Jonathan can't hear us next door," Mandie warned.

"Those two?" giggled Celia. "Oh, they probably fell asleep before they even turned out the lights. I can see them now, spread-eagled, still fully dressed, snoring uproariously while we make fun of them!"

All three girls nearly choked, trying to keep their bursts of laughter in check. Mandie clutched her sides and tried to giggle silently, which didn't really work. Gasping and spluttering, the girls ended up shoving the corners of their pillows into their mouths.

"I hope no one heard that!" Mandie whispered, wiping tears off of her cheeks.

"Well, certainly not Joe and Jonathan!" Celia whispered back, sending them back into a fit of giggles.

"Stop!" Mandie begged, when she could finally breathe. She pressed her pillow against her face to muffle her laughter.

"Sorry," whispered Celia, getting herself under control.

"We really should be acting more grown up," Mandie said, smiling guiltily.

Sallie waved her hand. "Oh, no one's here to see us misbehaving," she said, unconcerned. "We are probably just very tired, which usually makes most things funny."

"I guess so," agreed Mandie. She sighed, and rolled over. "How did we get from talking about Roger's love notes to insulting Joe and Jonathan?

"Hmm, I don't know," said Celia thoughtfully. She glanced slyly at Mandie. "Funny how 'Roger,' 'love notes,' and 'Joe' are all connected."

"Celia Hamilton!" Mandie said, trying to hide a smile. "Really!"

"Oh, Mandie," said Sallie, "we all know!"

Mandie sat up and stared at her. "You do?"

Sallie raised her eyebrows. "Mandie, anyone can see that you and Joe have always been more than 'friends.'"

Mandie folded her arms. "They can?"

"Of course!" agreed Celia, also sitting up. "You as much as told me so yourself, earlier today!"

Mandie frowned. "I thought I was spilling a secret."

Celia smiled and shook her head. "Joe's crazy about you, and you've always been a bit possessive of him, even if you didn't care to admit it."

"Oh," said Mandie. She thought for a moment. "Well, you'd better _not_ say anything to Joe, alright, you two?"

"Of course we wouldn't, Mandie!" protested Celia.

"This is between you and Joe," agreed Sallie.

"Good," said Mandie. "Or I might just have to have a little chat with Roger and Dimar."

Both Celia and Sallie blushed this time. Mandie noticed, and grinned at them, before settling back down.

"I'm so tired," Celia said, yawning. She pulled the covers up around her chin.

"Me too," Mandie said.

"Remember, we promised Joe that we would walk that path tomorrow," Sallie reminded them, before also sinking back down.

"Mmm," mumbled Mandie. "'night."

Mandie awoke the next morning to Celia prodding her legs. She moaned and opened her eyes a fraction, to see Snowball curled up next to her.

"Come on, Mandie, wake up," Celia said, throwing a pillow at her.

"Uhhh," groaned Mandie. "What time is it? It can't be time for breakfast yet!"

"No, not for at least an hour," Celia said, "but Sallie and I have been up for the past twenty minutes."

Mandie yawned and sat up, smoothing the hair out of her face. She glared at her two friends, who were already dressed and ready to go.

"You're not tired?" she asked them. Celia shrugged.

"I was, but once I woke up, I couldn't get back to sleep, so I just stayed awake."

"And she woke me up, walking around and getting dressed," Sallie added, smiling.

"Hurry up and get dressed, Mandie," Celia urged. "We can go down to the kitchen and have some coffee. The boys probably aren't up yet."

"Okay, okay," Mandie grumbled, swinging her legs out of bed and walking over to her wardrobe. As she dressed and laced up her boots, Celia and Sallie discussed visiting Mandie's Cherokee kinspeople in a few weeks.

"Will Dimar be there?" Celia asked.

Sallie nodded. "I think so. The only reason he could not come here with us is because he wanted to stay behind and help Mr. O'Neal, and he knew that we would be coming back with everyone to visit."

"How's T'sani?" Mandie asked, braiding her hair.

Sallie frowned. "He is fine, I suppose. He is not as bad as he used to be, but he will still say things or do things that I do not approve of."

"He sure is one for getting into trouble," Mandie remarked. "But I've always thought that he was secretly nice under his tough front."

"I think so too," agreed Sallie. Mandie stoop up and straightened her skirts.

"Okay, early worms, I'm ready now," she said, heading for the door. Snowball hopped out of bed and raced between Mandie's legs out into the hall.

"Someone's hungry," joked Mandie. She, Celia, and Sallie walked quietly down the hall, keeping their voices down since Joe and Jonathan were still sleeping.

They found Snowball waiting impatiently outside the kitchen door. Mandie smiled and pushed it open for him.

"Good morning, Aunt Lou!" she said, entering the kitchen. Aunt Lou smiled at her.

"Good mohnin', my chile," she said. "What you wants so early? Breakfist ain't gwine be ready foh 'nutha hour."

"Could we just have some coffee, Aunt Lou?" Mandie asked, sitting down at the small table.

"Sho 'nuff, chile," Aunt Lou, replied, reaching for cups and the coffee pot.

"Thank you," said Mandie, taking them from her. She poured coffee for herself, Celia and Sallie, while Aunt Lou went back to helping Jenny and Liza prepare breakfast.

"Whew," said Mandie, taking a sip of her coffee and blinking her eyes several times. "That's better. I could barely keep my eyes open, thanks to ya'll waking me up so early."

Celia smiled at her. "We probably shouldn't have stayed up so late."

"I enjoyed it," Mandie answered, trying to keep a straight face.

Sallie giggled. "It is very good no one heard us," she said.

"Especially—" Mandie broke off as the kitchen door swung open and Joe and Jonathan entered.

"Aha!" Jonathan was saying. "I told you they'd be in here."

"Well, it was kind of obvious, after hearing Mandie announce that she was hungry before they stomped obnoxiously down the hallway," Joe retorted.

"I was talking about Snowball!" Mandie protested. "And we did not stomp. We went very quietly."

"What are ya'll doing up so early?" Joe asked, sitting down next to Mandie and reaching for the coffee."

"Celia woke me up," Mandie said.

"And me," Sallie added.

"And how did ya'll sleep?" Joe questioned, drinking his coffee. Mandie froze and glanced sideways at him… had the boys heard them last night? They didn't look as though they were laughing at them. She exchanged a glance with Sallie and Celia, and answered cautiously, "Um… fine. And you?"

Joe laughed. "Oh, we slept great," he said. "I was asleep before I hit the covers."

Jonathan nodded guiltily and said, "I don't even think we remembered to turn out the lights."

Mandie choked on her sip of coffee and reached for a napkin, spluttering into it, while Sallie and Celia covered their mouths with their hands.

Joe frowned as he handed Mandie a handkerchief. 'Are you alright, Mandie?" he asked. Mandie nodded, her face bright red, as she took the handkerchief from him.

"Um, sorry," she apologized, continuing to cough. She glanced at the boy's startled faces and struggled to control a burst of laughter. She stood up quickly.

"Uh, just give me, um… give me a moment, ahem, please, I'll be… right back…" she finished, hurrying past Joe and practically running into the hallway.

Joe and Jonathan looked at each other, bemused, as they heard restrained giggles outside the kitchen door.

"What's wrong with Mandie?" Joe asked, looking at Celia and Sallie, who had also turned bright red, and still had their hands covering their mouths.

"What? Oh… um, nothing," Celia said, shaking with silent laughter.

"What's going on with ya'll?" Joe asked, completely confused.

"Yeah, what did we miss?" echoed Jonathan. Celia and Sallie jumped up and hurried out into the hallway with Mandie, who was crouching against the wall, holding her ribs.

"What in the world?" said Joe in amazement, as they listened to the smothered giggles from the hallway.

Jonathan shrugged and poured himself more coffee. "Women," he said knowingly.

About five minutes later, the girls re-entered the kitchen, noticeably controlled.

"Yes, um, sorry about… that," Mandie said in answer the boys' raised eyebrows. "Just a little, um… joke."

"Are you sure ya'll got enough sleep last night?" asked Joe, looking at her closely and holding her cup out.

Mandie accepted her coffee and sat down calmly while Celia and Sallie did the same.

"Perfectly sure," Mandie said in a controlled voice. She sipped her coffee composedly, ignoring the boys' questioning looks.

"Ya'll git out to dat dining room," Aunt Lou said when they had finished their coffee, shooing them towards the door. "Breakfist be ready in jest a few minutes."

When they had finished eating breakfast, Mandie and her friends wandered outside and sat on the steps of the back porch.

"So," began Joe, "are you going to tell us what that was all about this morning?

"No," said Mandie quickly.

"Come on, tell us!" Jonathan prodded.

"When do ya'll want to go on the walk?" Mandie asked, changing the subject.

"Fine, keep your secrets," said Jonathan. "We'll figure them out eventually."

"Let's go on the walk after lunch, Mandie," Celia suggested.

"Okay," Mandie agreed. "What should we—" she didn't finish the question, because at that moment, a very familiar figure in a lacey pink dress was hurrying towards them.

"Polly," Mandie said glumly. Celia and Sallie cast Mandie a sympathetic glance, while Jonathan smirked at Joe.

"Hi!" Polly greeted them cheerfully, sitting down next to Jonathan. Thankfully, she didn't notice his irritated expression.

"Hi, Polly," said Mandie.

"What are ya'll doing today?" Polly asked.

"We're going on a walk through the woods after lunch," Mandie told her. "Joe wants to see the little path the leads away from the tunnel exit."

"That creepy, overgrown, old thing?" asked Polly.

"Yes, that one," Mandie confirmed. "You and I didn't get very far."

Polly wrinkled her nose. "You could barely see the path, it was so overgrown," she said.

"How far does it go?" Joe asked.

"I don't know," Mandie told him. "The reason we didn't go any farther was because I tripped and fell in some muddy weeds. You should have seen Mother's face when we got back."

All her friends laughed at this image, except Polly, who frowned reprovingly.

"Ya'll weren't there, so you didn't see it," she said. "Mandie was filthy, and she had quite a few scrapes."

"Do you want to go with us, Polly?" Mandie offered, somewhat hesitantly.

Polly shook her head. "I'd like to, but I can't," she answered. "Mother and I are going shopping this afternoon."

"Oh, that's too bad," said Mandie sweetly.

"You should have been with us last night, Polly," Jonathan said.

"Why?" Polly asked. "What did ya'll do last night?"

"We went through the tunnel after dark," Celia said.

"Was it scary?" she asked.

"Of course not," said Jonathan. "Not with so many people."

"Do you remember when we found the tunnel, Mandie?" Polly asked.

"When we were searching for Uncle John's will, you mean?" remembered Mandie. "We were convinced that a panel opened up in the attic! We spent hours up there, trying to force our way into the tunnel."

"Mandie's first mystery," Joe teased. "You should be ashamed, Polly, encouraging her like that. Look what it's done to her!"

"Oh, well, it was quite a lot of fun," Polly said, shrugging.

"And afterwards we found the Cherokee gold," Mandie put in.

"That's right," said Joe, nodding. "That was even before you met Celia."

"Yes, and it was the first time I had ever met Sallie," Mandie added. She turned and smiled at Celia. "I'm glad that my mother did insist I go away to Asheville for school, instead of staying here in Franklin like I wanted."

Celia smiled back. "Me too," she said.

"That was a very good school," Polly agreed. "Better even than the one I started out at. And it was very nice, the way we were able to get to know the boys from Mr. Chadwick's school."

"That's where Tommy Patton and Robert Rogers went, right?" asked Jonathan.

Mandie nodded. "Yes, and I tried to convince Joe to go there at first, but they didn't teach what he needed."

Joe smiled. "I still got to go and see you quite often, though," he reminded her.

Mandie laughed. "Mostly just to lecture me."


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, I am so sorry for not updating! Especially after everyone telling me how much they appreciate the fast updates. I've had the next part written for over a week, I just kept forgetting to post it. Please accept my humble apologies.**

**Just as an FYI, I will be out of town from Sunday until next Saturday, so no updates until afterwards. Sorry! I promise I will work on the story while I'm away and update when I get home.**

**Neon-Night-Light: Thank you! I totally agree—as a faithful "Mandie" reader for years, I really wish it would get more recognition. I love your fanfic, it's hilarious! Thanks again for the review, it's much appreciated.**

**Jennielovesu: Thanks! Hmmm, interesting thought about George… truth be told, I hadn't even considered that, but it would make a pretty good twist. I plan to continue writing fanfics in the "Mandie" books fashion, so maybe he'll show up in the next one, before they leave to visit the Cherokees!**

**THE OFFICIAL COYOTE: Thank you!—and thanks again for the help with my picture :P**

**Mandiesnowball: Thank you so much! That's the nicest compliment a Fanfiction writer can ever get! Don't worry, I plan to keep writing **

**Patch31: Thank you again! I really and truly appreciate all of this support, it's what keeps me inspired to write.**

**Guest: Haha, sorry about the wait! I really didn't mean for it to take so long. Thanks very much for the encouragement!**

After Polly left, the young people went back in for lunch. Joe sat down near the end of the table, and Jonathan and Sallie sat down across from him. As Mandie made her way towards Sallie, Celia rushed past her, almost pushing her to one side, and quickly sat down next to Sallie, leaving Mandie with the only available place next to Joe.

She frowned at Celia's and Sallie's beaming faces as she sat beside Joe, who didn't seem to notice. He and Jonathan were busy discussing law practice in the country and city.

"What are ya'll doing today?" Elizabeth asked, while they ate.

"We're going to walk that path in the woods by the tunnel exit," Mandie replied. Elizabeth frowned.

"You mean the one that you and Polly went on?"

"Yes," said Mandie quickly.

"Maybe ya'll should take an adult with you, just in case," Elizabeth said. "Uncle Ned, would you—"

"Mother!" interrupted Mandie quickly. "I'm almost seventeen now, and all of my friends are older. We don't need an adult to walk through the woods."

Her mother glanced at Uncle John. He shook his head.

"They'll be fine, Elizabeth," he said. "They're all almost adults, and I think they can take care of themselves."

Mandie beamed at him, as he winked at her from across the table. She loved her mother, but sometimes she was too protective.

"Mandie," said Jonathan, leaning towards her. She turned to look at him.

"Is everyone still coming up to my home in New York this summer, or did we decide on something else?"

Mandie smiled at him. "Of course we'll visit New York," she said. "I don't know who all will make it, but I believe Mother said that we would be traveling there after we visit my Cherokee kinspeople."

"I'm coming," confirmed Celia. "My mother loves New York."

"I think I'm coming as well," added Joe, "but my mother and father probably won't."

"I do not think I will be going to New York," Sallie apologized. "I would rather stay home with my grandfather and my grandmother."

"Well, there you have it," said Mandie. "I guess it will be just the four of us." She grinned at her friends and lowered her voice. "I wonder if Grandmother will go."

Jonathan laughed. "Of course she will! I'm sure my father especially invited her."

"Remember," Celia said, "Senator Morten will be joining us after we come back from visiting Mandie's kinspeople."

"Well, that's always interesting," Jonathan responded. "I wonder who she'll end up choosing."

"I don't think she'll ever choose," Mandie informed him. "Grandmother is too interested in doing things her own way to want to be tied down to a husband."

"And if she did choose, I think Senator Morten would be the more likely choice," Celia said.

"I agree," said Joe.

"Yes, I think so too," Mandie said thoughtfully. "After all, he was good friends with my grandfather."

"Well," said Jonathan, pretending to frown. "Now that you've all made it clear what you think of me, maybe I'll just cancel the invitation!"

They all laughed and finished up their meal.

"I suppose I'd better bring Snowball," Mandie said, as they left the dining room. "He probably needs the exercise."

"We'll wait here," Joe said.

Mandie nodded. "I'll be right back," she answered, and headed to the kitchen to find Snowball.

"Alright, we can go," she said, when she rejoined them, carrying Snowball.

Joe led the way outside, and then down to the woods. Mandie set Snowball down and he immediately raced off, no doubt looking for squirrels or birds or some other exciting adventures.

"I hope he doesn't get lost," Joe said, watching him. Mandie smiled.

"I believe Snowball knows this property better than I do," she said.

When the young people reached the tunnel exit, Mandie took the lead and pushed her way through the bushes until they found the little path.

"How far does it go?" Jonathan asked, as they started at a slow stroll in single file. The surrounding woods were thick and green, and several types of woodland flowers grew here and there.

Mandie shrugged. "Pretty far, I guess," she answered. "Like I said, Uncle John thinks it's a deer trail, so I'd imagine that it goes deep into the woods."

"Does it go farther than your Uncle's property?" Sallie asked. "Or have you been all over the property?"

"Goodness, no," said Mandie. "I don't even know how much of these woods Uncle John owns. I know some of the property lines, but I've never checked the one back here."

"Really, Mandie," Joe reproved her teasingly, "shouldn't you know these things if you're going to inherit all of this some day?"

Mandie smiled. "Probably," she agreed. "But you're the lawyer here. How about you find everything out, and explain it to me later?"

"If this is a deer path, then I would imagine that it continues up into the mountain," Celia spoke up from behind Joe. "Don't you think?"

"I guess so," agreed Mandie. "We'll see."

"I wonder if there are any caves up there?" Joe asked mischievously.

"I would think that you would have had enough of caves to last you a lifetime," Sallie answered.

"Oh, come on," he responded. "There's nothing like exploring an old cave."

"I've never been in one, unless you count the catacombs," Jonathan said.

"No, those are much too publicized to count," Mandie told him. "When we visit my Cherokee kinspeople, we will show you a real cave."

"Sounds fun," he answered.

"Dimar will have to take us, though, because I don't think I could remember how to get there," Mandie said thoughtfully.

Sallie frowned. "Which cave are you talking about, Mandie?"

"The one we went to when you and I, and Uncle Ned, Joe, Dimar, and Mr. O'Neal were looking for the missing wagons," she answered.

"Oh, yes, I remember," Sallie said. "I also know how to get there."

"I might be able to find it if I tried hard enough, but we walked all over the mountain that day, and I was just blindly following Dimar most of the time," Mandie said, smiling.

Joe shrugged and patted her on the shoulder. "You were more useful than me," he reminded her, grinning. "At least you knew how to mark and follow a trail."

She smiled, but didn't answer. They continued along the path for a long while, occasionally stopping so the girls could pick flowers, and when Mandie pointed out where she and Polly had turned around. The path continued steadily upward, sometimes with a barely noticeable slope, until they were quite a ways from the house.

"Whew," said Celia, stopping for a moment and looked around the woods. "I bet we have walked miles by now! For what I can see of this path, I must have been right. It must go straight up the mountain! I don't see any sign of it stopping any time soon."

Mandie paused also and knelt to examine the path. "You're right, Celia," she agreed. "It does look like it keeps on going—and look here!" The others stooped to see what had excited her.

"The beginning did seem like just a deer path," she explained, "but see how it is more worn all the way up here?"

Sallie nodded. "I see what you mean, Mandie," she said, brushing her fingers over the ground. "It is just as small, but the leaves and dirt are more downtrodden."

Jonathan shrugged and straightened up. "That probably just means that there are more deer up here," he pointed out, and then grinned at Joe. "That rhymed!" he said. "I'm just so clever."

Joe rolled his eyes and also straightened up. "As much as I hate to admit it, Jonathan could be right."

Jonathan grinned again and wrung Joe's hand. "Well, thank you very much, my good friend!"

Mandie, Celia, and Sallie laughed while Joe shook his head and freed his hand.

"Oh well," said Mandie, standing up. "Ya'll seem just determined to not let me make a mystery out of anything."

"How'd you guess?" Joe teased her, while Jonathan looked at her, horrified.

"We wouldn't do that!" he said, placing his hand over his heart in a mock gesture of sincerity. Mandie rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Should we keep going, then?" she asked.

"Sure," said Jonathan. "I want to see how far it really does go."

"It can't be near dinner yet," Celia added, glancing up at the sky.

"Alright," agreed Mandie. She took the lead again, and they continued to talk back and forth, mostly about visiting the Cherokees.

"I hope T'sani is agreeable," Mandie remarked. Joe scoffed, and then hastily turned it into a cough when Mandie glanced at him reprovingly.

"I think he will be," Sallie said brightly. "We are all older now, and he does seem to have gotten better. He really does love you, Mandie, even though he acts meanly."

Mandie smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, Sallie, I'm glad you think so. I've always felt bad that we don't get along."

"That's because he's a troublemaker, and he's always involving us in his troublemaking schemes," Joe pointed out.

"Oh, Joe, he's still my cousin," Mandie argued. "And if he—" she stopped suddenly. "What was that?"

"What?" Jonathan asked, frowning at her. Joe, Celia, and Sallie looked at her curiously. She held up a hand, listening carefully. A sound like a small twig snapping caused them all to look around.

"There it is again!" she said excitedly, turning around to look behind her."

"Yes, I heard it," Joe said. "It sounded like someone stepped on a twig."

"Someone or _something_," Celia added, shivering slightly. She gasped unexpectedly. "Look!" she cried, pointing towards the left side of the path. Everyone spun around to see what she was pointing out, and Mandie could have sworn that she glimpsed the back of a shirt.

"There's someone there!" she said, starting forward.

"Wait, Mandie!" Joe said, grabbing her arm before she could run off.

"What?" she asked impatiently. "We need to hurry before they get away!"

"We're not even sure if we're still on your Uncle's property," he reminded her. She shrugged.

"What does that matter? We can still see who it is!" she shook his hand off and ran towards where they had seen the shirt.

Joe rolled his eyes and followed, motioning for the others to stay behind. "We'll be right back," he said over his shoulder.

"Oh, sure, you two have all the fun!" Jonathan called from the path. "We'll just stay here and pick flowers!"

"Come on, Joe!" Mandie said as he caught up. "They went this way." She pointed to a footprint pressed into soft dirt. Joe nodded and looked around.

Mandie tugged at his hand with annoyance. "Let's go!" she said breathlessly.

**Okay, this chapter seemed a bit… blah-ish to me, but that might be because I waited so long to post it. The next chapter won't be up until sometime after next week, so bear with me. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, I know it's been forever since I've updated (don't hate me!), but I do have an excuse—I'm actually working on another project right now, a book that I hope to eventually get published, and that has to take precedence. I am continuing to work on my story, of course, and I have the whole thing mapped out, it's just finding time to write/edit the parts that I'm having difficulty with. Again, don't worry, I'm fully planning to continue this Mandie fanfic and others, and I'm very sorry about the wait! **

**Heart4cats (guest): thank you, thank you, thank you! I can never get enough encouragement, and I especially love hearing that my fanfic sounds like the books. Thanks for the constructive criticism—I didn't even notice my mistake, and to be honest, I almost did it again this evening! **

**Lily101 (guest): again, so sorry for the wait! Yes, I'm writing more chapters—several more in fact **** As for Mandie and Joe kissing… hmm… I don't know if I should reveal so much… haha, just kidding. The truth is that I'm still debating that. As I said, I'm planning on writing more, so maybe I'll save that for later!**

**Audrey (guest): thank you! Like I've said, that is the best compliment I could ever receive! As to your question about the twins, well… actually, I was already planning on explaining why I've left them out before I saw your review. The answer is simply this: though they were originally added by Lois Gladys Leppard, I didn't really like their addition. I thought it was a bit far-fetched, maybe even sentimental, and I didn't feel like it added anything to the stories. Of course, I was happy for Uncle John and Elizabeth, but I still felt like it wasn't needed. Therefore, I decided not to include them in my fanfic, only because I didn't particularly like the idea. I'm not resenting the author's writing in any way, it is just my opinion. I hope my readers aren't too disappointed :/**

**Well then, without farther adieux, I present to you: chapter 7!**

Mandie dashed quickly through the woods, Joe hard on her heels, chasing whoever or whatever they had seen.

"Mandie, be careful," Joe warned from behind her. She didn't answer, but slowed down a little, straining her eyes to penetrate through the thick woods.

"I don't see any sign of them," she said over her shoulder to Joe.

"We'll catch them," he answered confidently. They came to a small clearing between a few trees, and Mandie skidded to a halt, digging her shoes into the ground to keep her balance. Joe halted quickly behind her.

"Which way?" he asked, slightly out of breath from their chase. Mandie took a big gulp of air and shrugged. She knelt down on the ground and searched for prints.

"Not much," she said in disappointment, frowning at the slightly impacted earth. Past the clearing, the ground was once again littered with stones, leaves, and sticks—too much for Mandie's skills to decipher. _We need Uncle Ned with us_, she thought. She stood and circled the clearing, checking for snapped twigs and bruised leaves.

"Here!" she said excitedly to Joe, pointing to a bent branch with a recently crumpled leaf. He stooped beside her.

"Good eye," he said admiringly. Mandie felt herself blush and didn't meet his gaze. She always felt strange when Joe complimented her.

"They went this way," she answered instead, and led the way out of the clearing, noting a few more upset branches, and picking up her pace.

They continued quickly for a few more minutes, when Joe suddenly grabbed her arm, halting her.

"Mandie!" he hissed, pointing ahead. "Look!"

Mandie peered ahead, and made out the faint shape of a deerskin jacket crouched among the trees. She nodded and held a finger to her lips, before motioning forward. They crept silently along, closer and closer to the figure, until they were only a few feet away.

Mandie took a deep breath and prepared to burst forward to confront whoever it was, but as she stepped out, stones shifted beneath her foot, and her ankle rolled out. She slipped to the side and crashed to the ground, the small stones skidding out from under her feet.

Immediately, whoever it was leapt up and bolted. Joe let them go, dropping on his knees beside Mandie in concern.

"Mandie!" he said, seizing her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Mandie sat up, wincing. She felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment, although she wasn't sure why. She looked up into Joe's concerned face.

"I'm fine," she assured him, brushing her bruised palms off on her dress. "Did you recognize whoever it was?"

Joe shook his head. "I didn't get a good look at their face."

"Oh, shucks!" Mandie exclaimed. "I guess they're long gone by now."

"Sorry, Mandie," Joe apologized.

"It's alright," she said. "Maybe Uncle Ned will help us later."

Joe didn't reply, but helped her to her feet. Mandie tested her ankle unsteadily. She felt a slight twinge when she put all of her weight on it, but it didn't hurt too badly.

"Are you hurt?" Joe asked anxiously, gripping her arm. Mandie forced a smile and laughed lightly.

"I'll be okay," she answered. "My ankle is a little sore, but I can manage."

"I can carry you," Joe offered.

"No!" Mandie protested quickly, her cheeks flaming. Joe looked a little startled at her swift reply. She forced herself to calm down and offered him a smile. "I mean, I'm fine, really. Let's get back to the others."

"Here, let me help," Joe said, grasping Mandie's hand and taking the lead. She squeezed his hand gratefully as they started back, Joe leading carefully and slowly.

"I think you're right," Joe remarked as they continued along. "If anyone can help, it's Uncle Ned. I'm sure he can find whoever it was."

Mandie nodded. "Uncle John will probably want to help too," she agreed. "Especially if this _is_ still his property."

"If it is," Joe reminded her. "I would be surprised if his property line extended so far up into the mountains. We're a good few miles from the house."

Mandie glanced up at the sky. "What time is it, do you know?" she asked.

Joe shrugged. "It must be around four o'clock."

"We should probably head back soon," she said.

"We still have time," he assured her. "We'll ask the others. Besides, it will be quicker going back down the mountain than it was coming up."

A few minutes later, they rejoined their friends.

"There you are!" Jonathan said, turning around as Mandie and Joe pushed through the bushes to join them.

"What happened, Mandie?" Sallie asked in concern, noticing Mandie's slight limp.

Mandie let go of Joe's hand and sat down on a rock, slowly rotating her ankle. "I'm fine," she answered. "I just slipped and fell."

"Did you sprain your ankle?" Celia asked anxiously.

Mandie shook her head. "I think it's just a slight twist."

"She probably wouldn't have been able to walk on it if she had sprained it," Jonathan agreed.

"Ya'll need to stop worrying," Mandie stated emphatically. She was starting to get embarrassed by the attention. When Joe continued to frown at her, she quickly changed the subject. "Joe says that we still have time before dinner to keep exploring. What do ya'll think?"

"Maybe we should go back," Celia said at once.

"No, no," Jonathan objected. "Mandie says she's fine. Let's keep going."

"Well, if Mandie is sure," Celia began, but Mandie quickly cut her off.

"Of course I'm sure. I'm fine. I agree with Jonathan, this is very interesting."

"Alright," Celia agreed reluctantly.

"I will help Mandie if her ankle hurts her," Sallie offered. Mandie smiled her thanks and rose to her feet.

"Come on, then," said Jonathan, needing no farther encouragement. He took the lead, with Joe close behind. Mandie smiled to herself at their boyish eagerness. Celia and Sallie walked more slowly to accommodate Mandie.

When they had walked on farther, they came across more rocky parts of the mountain, making it seem almost cliff-like. Mandie and Joe had climbed such things many times, growing up in the country. Sallie, of course, was more used to mountain terrain than any of them. Jonathan, however, was a city boy through and through, and he grew extremely excited at the prospect of rock-climbing.

"Really, Jonathan, we did much more exciting things in Europe," Mandie reminded him.

"I've never climbed a cliff before," Jonathan answered.

"And I suppose you want to now?" Celia asked resignedly. He grinned at her and Mandie had to stifle a laugh at Celia's expression. She wondered at her friends' bantering curiously. _Do they like each other?_ she speculated. In Europe, there had been a few times when she suspected as much, but now she was not so sure. Jonathan flirted with all girls, and Celia obviously still liked Robert.

"Look, there are even little caves and hollows and hidden cracks throughout," Jonathan coaxed.

"Well, go ahead, if you must," Celia said, throwing her hands up in mock despair.

"What? Don't you want to come with me, Celia?" Jonathan asked, grinning mischievously.

Celia wrinkled her nose at him, while Mandie, Joe, and Sallie laughed. "Certainly not," she said.

"Please," Jonathan wheedled, sticking his lip out.

Sallie smiled at him and interjected. "How about Celia and I come with you, while Mandie and Joe stay here? I do not think Mandie should be climbing any rocks."

Mandie shook her head and sat down. Her ankle was still feeling sore, and climbing around in the rocks certainly wouldn't help.

"See there," Jonathan said smugly to Celia. "At least someone wants to go with me."

"Oh, alright," Celia said, sighing. "As long as Sallie comes too."

"Onward, then!" announced Jonathan, bowing to Celia and Sallie. They both laughed, and followed him towards the rocks.

"How's your ankle?" Joe asked, sitting down next to her.

Mandie shrugged. "A little sore, but that's to be expected. I'm glad Jonathan didn't insist that we all go."

"He seems like he's having a good time," Joe said jokingly, watching Jonathan hop nimbly onto a rock, assuring Celia and Sallie in a loud voice that he was born for such daring achievements.

"Yes, he's—" Mandie looked indignantly at Joe, who had just placed his hand over her mouth.

"Shh!" he said, before removing his hand. Mandie stilled. _What is it?_ She looked expectantly at Joe. He was staring off into the woods on their left.

"Did you hear that?" he asked in a whisper. Mandie shook her head.

"Listen," he said softly. She leaned forward and strained her ears. A faint rustle made her grip Joe's arm. Someone was there. Was it the same person that they had chased? _Who could it be_, she wondered. Whoever it was, they were obviously following them.

"Come on," Joe said, standing up and starting towards the noise. Mandie cast a hesitant glance back at the others. They were too far away to alert without yelling and scaring off whoever it was. _Joe and I are quite capable of taking care of ourselves_, she assured herself. _We'll be back in no time._

She started after Joe, who was already disappearing back into the woods.


End file.
